Powering the AI Boom: The Surprising Return of Nuclear Energy

The exponential growth of artificial intelligence comes with a voracious appetite for electricity. The massive data centers required to train and run large language models consume vast amounts of power, and the tech industry is increasingly turning to a surprising source to meet this demand: nuclear energy.

In a landmark move, Amazon has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a nuclear power provider, and has a goal of securing 5 gigawatts of nuclear power. Google and Microsoft have also signed agreements to develop project sites for advanced nuclear reactors, specifically Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to provide clean, reliable, 24/7 power to their data centers. While the widespread deployment of new SMRs is still years away, the trend is clear: as the energy demands of AI continue to skyrocket, the tech industry is making a strategic bet on nuclear power to provide the carbon-free energy needed to fuel the future of intelligence.